EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine August 2020 | Page 20

Future Foods
Holds Future Promise for Ormond Beach
by Brigitte Hoarau
One of the recent trends in dining and nutrition is the
growing popularity of plant-based proteins. We’ve seen
the explosion of burger and chicken alternatives in fast
food, sit-down restaurants, and grocery stores, alike—all made from
produce instead of livestock, which proponents claim is beneficial
to human health and the environment, and is more economically
accessible to a growing human population.
And the trend is growing. According to research, consumers
overwhelmingly are seeking out plant-based proteins to add to their
diets; and restaurants, grocery stores, and food manufacturers are
following suit to keep up with the trend. Almost 60% of consumers
surveyed by Lux Research reported that they eat meatless meals at
least once a week, and “plant-based consumption will continue to
grow 12% year over year for the next 5 years, [expecting] to reach
$5.96 billion by 2022.” This consumer shift to plant-based protein
products is a demand food businesses are rushing to meet.
One plant-based protein manufacturer
has seen so much success that they are in
the process of building out and opening up
a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in
Ormond Beach. Oumph! is a soy protein
product created by renowned Swedish Chef
Anders “The Duck” Linden, whose search for a sustainable, clean,
and healthy protein that offers the same versatility as most meats
but is sourced from plants, has resulted in a product that’s become
very popular in Europe. Future Foods, a U.S. based company with
a sales headquarters in Lake Worth, Florida, has used Linden’s
creation to provide Oumph! products, sources from overseas, to
major Southeast foodservice clients such as Sysco, U.S. Foodservice,
Cheney Brothers, SeaWorld Orlando, and Universal Studios Florida.
The popularity of Oumph! in the Southeast market, along with
increasing national demand, spurred Future Foods to expand their
sales and establish a new manufacturing plant that allows them to
source and produce Oumph! products entirely in the U.S.
Future Foods’ decision to choose Ormond Beach for this
facility was based on the city’s established
reputation as home to companies who use
“modern manufacturing equipment and
design,” according to Brian Rademacher,
Economic Development Director for City of
Ormond Beach. “The company was looking
to establish a manufacturing and R&D facility
to process and package product, and the
Brian Rademacher
building they ultimately moved into was a
Chef Anders Linden
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